Feed-gate for weighing-machine.



H. RICHARDSON, FEI-3D GATBFOR WBIG'HING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 9,A 1908.

Patented Oct. 5, 1909.

asuma-SHEET 1.

76355761543 els H. RICHARDSON.

FEED GATE FOR WBIGHING MACHINES.

APPLIoATIoN FILED SEPT. 9, 190s.

935,689. Patented o@t.5,1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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HENRY RICHARDSON, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

FEED-GATE FOR WEGHING-IVIACHINES.

assess.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, HENRY RICHARDSON, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Feed-Gates for lVeighingdachines, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improvements in means for feeding material to scales or weighing machines, and it has for its object to provide an improved gate of this character which is preferably rotatable and is controlled automatically bythe scale mechanism, the gate being so constructed that the material in entering the same lies therein in such a manner as to offer a minimum friction or resistance to its turning, the gate being consequently easy to operate and thereby requiring slight power only from the scale beam.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved tapper, shaker or agitating device which is arranged in cooperative relation with the gate and has means for automatically setting it in operation to vibrate or otherwise agitate the gate while the latter occupies a predetermined position, such for instance as the dribble position, so that a proper iiow of the material from the gate is insured even though the material being fed may be lumpy or of a consistency otherwise dificult to handle.

To these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations and arrangements of part-s all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out particularly in the claims at the end of the specification.

ln the accompanying drawings: Figure l is a side elevation of a portion of a weighing machine equipped with an automatic feed gate constructed in accordance with my present invention. Fig. 2 represents an aXial section through the feed gate, the latter being shown in closed position or in the position indicated in Fig. l. Fig. 3 represents a transverse section through the gate, the latter being shown in closed position. Fig. l is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing the gate fully open. F 5 and 6 represent respectively a transverse section and an end elevation of the gate, the gate being shown Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led September 9, 1908.

Patented Oct. 5, 1969.

Serial No. 452,268.

in dribble position and the t-apper or shaker being shown in operative position. Fig. 7 represents a sectional view of portions of the feed hopper and gate, the brush for preventing leakage between these parts being omitted.

Similar parts are designated by the same reference characters in the several views.

Feed gates constructed in accordance with my present invention are capable of ,use generally in connection with scales or weighing machines of various types and also in connection with other apparatus wherein it is desirable to closely regulate or control the flow of material, and in the accompanying drawings I have shown the improved gate as applied to a weighing machine or scale. It will be understood, however, that the drawings show merely one specific embodiment of the invention and that the same is not necessarily so lin'iited, as certain modifications or changes in the details of construction of the parts or in the relative arrangement thereof may be made in applying the invention in each particular case.

In the present instance, l designates the frame of a scale or weighing machine which may be of any appropriate type, the same being provided with the usual scale beam 2 and with a weigh hopper 3. These parts are not involved in the present improvements and are therefore merely indicated conventionally. On the top of the frame is mounted a feed hopper t above which may be arranged a chute or other means for conducting the material thereto. lVhile this feed hopper may be of different constructions, I preferably employ one such as that shown wherein the inlet portion is substantially vertical and the outlet of the hopper is arrangedat an incline, the angle of inclination being varied, if so desired, according to the nature of the material to be handled, whereby a proper How of the material into the gate may be insured. This discharge end of the feed chute is formed preferably with an annular flange 5.

rlhe feed gate is mounted to receive the material from the hopper and in the present instance this gate is composed of a pair of rings 6 and 7 which are preferably circular in form, and connecting these rings is a curved plate 8, this plate being secured to the rings and is in substantially the form of a semicylinder. 'lhe ring 'T surrounds and terms a suitable oint with the llange ot the l'ecd hopper'. ln some cases this ring and flange may directly cooperate to form the joint as shown in F ig. 7, while in some cases, such lor instance as in the handling of grain, a brush 9 may be interposed between these parts so as to provide a relatively tight joint to prevent leakage of the material between the gate and feed hopper. The ring (5 is provided with a hub lt) which is supported by a bearing l1 supported on a frame l2, while the ring 7 is provided with a cradle arm 13 which extends around the lower portion ot the it'eed hopper and is provided with a bearing arm lll which coperates with a bearing l5 formed at the rear under side et the hopper, the bearings 1l and l5 being arranged in alinement. The hub l() of the gate is provided with a crank lt to which is pivotally attached a pendant l?, the lower portion of the latter being pivotally attached at 1S to a link 19 which may be attached to a suitable part oitl the scale beam, and the lower end of the pendant is formed with a heel Q0 which is adapted to be engaged by the scale beam as the load receiving side thereof rises, this motion taking place al'ter the weigh hopper has discharged a load. That portion of the gate carrying the ring torms an end wall 2l for the gate, this end wall being arranged opposite to the discharge opening et the feed hopper, and in practice the distance ot this end wall oi the gate trom the feed hopper may be varied according to the nature ot the material to be handled. This end wall is provided at its outer side with a pin which operates in the slotted end Q3 oit a toggle link 2l, this toggle link cooperating with a complemental link 25, and the middle joint et these links is pivotally attached to a toggle breaking member 2G.

lln order to insure a proper discharge of the material from the gate, a tapper or shaker is provided, this tapper or shaker being provided with means whereby it will be inoperative under certain conditions, such for instance as when the gate is in closed position, and as the gate opens to a predetermined position, such for instance as the dribble position, this tapper will be set automatically into operation. While it is possible to employ tappers of various forms and to use di'tlerent means for controlling' and operating' the same, I have shown in the accompanying drawings one particular form ol tapper or shaker, which comprises a lever .27 which is pivoted at an intermediate point to the Irear side ot the segmental plate 8 of the gate by means oit a bracket 28, the lower portion of this lever being provided with a knocking weight 2S) while its opposite or upper end is provided with a roller or projection 30. An operating wheel 3l is mounted on a shaitt journaled in the gate supporting trame l2, and this wheel is provided on its periphery with a suitable number of projections. riChe shaft is provided with a pulley or wheel for imparting continuous motion thereto, and as the gate swings into a predetermined position, preferably the dribble position, the roller 3() of the tapper will be brought into a position to cooperate with this operating wheel and as the projections thereon successively engage the roller, it will vibrate the tapper. lt is to be observed that this tapper, when the gate is in open position, will strike the rear side oitl the segmental plate S upon which the material is supported; and this tapping or knocking action will serve to loosen the material and canse it to tlow evenly over the lower edge of the gate.

ln Figs. l, 2 and 3, the gate s shown in closed position, the toggle serving to lock the gate to prevent accidental opening thereof. As the material is ted into the feed hopper, it will l'low at a certain angle, determined according to the consistency o't the material, and it is desirable in practice to so space the end wall ot the gate trom the discharge end ot the hopper that the apex ot the material will just reach the bottom ot this vall. fatter a load has been discharged itrom the weigh hopper 3, the load receiving end. olE the scale beam will rise, this rising movement oit the scale beam l'irst lifting the toggle breaking member 2G so as to break the toggle and unlock the gate, and a turther movement ot' the scale beam in this direction will strike the heel of the pendant and thereby raise the same, the pendant in turn cooperating with the crank 1G to turn the gate into fully open position as indicated in Fig'. ll. While the gate is in this position, the upper and lower edges of the semicylindrical plate S ot' the gate will he substantially vertical so that a tull discharge oit the material lroni the l'eed hopper into the weigh hopper may take place. As the weigh hopper settles down under the weight oit the material llowing into the same, the pendant will settle therewith, causing the gate to be turned into the dribble position as shown in 5 and t3. The gate when in this position is partially closed so as to permit a, limited tlow et the material into the weigh hopper, the lower odge ot the curved plate S ot the gate having moved upwardly Jfrom its perpendicular position. `When the gate is in this position the roller of the tapper will be opposite to the actuating wheel 3l, and as the latter rotates continuously, it will impart a series olI vibratory movements to the tapper, and the knocking action produced by the. weight 2E) thereolI at the rear and under side o'l' the curved plate S oli the gate will serve to loosen the material and cause an even tlow ot the material 'trom @Sasse the lower' edge of the gate'. 'When a full charge has been supplied to the weigh hopper, the scale beam will, of course, tilt farther, releasing the pendant and the toggle unlocking member 26 and permitting the gate to swing into closed position and to be locked by the toggle. The cycle of operations just described is repeated in the weighing of each charge of material.

By constructing the feed gate of a cylindrical or semicylindrical form as described, t-he bottom of the gate is horizontal, or substantially so, and by feeding the material thereto in an axial direction and so adjust-- ing the position of the end wall of the gate relatively to thc discharge end of the feed hopper as to permit a flow of the material into the gate at such an angle that the extreme forward end of the slope just reaches this end wall, the resist-ance to the turning of the gate is reduced to a minimum, as there is practically no friction of the material against the end wall of the gate, the material being permitted to fiow out of the hopper into the gate in its natural course and is only restricted by the bottom or supporting plate of the gate.

It will be understood, of course, that l contemplate adjusting the end wall of the gate at different distances from the outlet of the hopper according to the consistency of the material to be handled.

In handling materials of different kinds, such for instance, as bituminous or soft coal, and anthracite coal, the flow of the material varies, and in order to enable the dribble of the different materials from the gate into the Weigh hopper to be properly governed, an adjustable section or lip may be provided on the discharge edge of the bottom plate 8 of the gate, a plate 34 being applied in the present instance, which plate is adjustable relatively to this discharge edge of the gate, such plate being provided with suitable means for permitting this adjustment, such plate being slotted in the present instance and bolts 35 being employed for securing the plate 34; in the different adjusted positions relatively to the discharge edge of the bottom plate 8. Such a construction enables the flow of material from the gate, while in a dribble position, into the weigh hopper, to be properly governed according to the feed of the material being handled.

The tapper or agitating device for the gate is so arranged as to produce a knocking action against the rear and upper side of the gate, thereby loosening the material and causing an even discharge thereof from the gate. rlhis tapper may be so adjusted as to operate upon the gate while the latter occupies different positions, it being shown in the present instance as arranged to operate while the gate occupies the dribble position, and in either case the tapper and its operating means are so arranged as to automatically operate as the gate swings into the selected position.

that is claimed as new, is:

'1. An automatic feed for weighing machines comprising a rotatable gate having a wall at one end thereof, and means for producing a flow of material into the gate in a direction toward said end wall.

2. An automatic feed for weighing machines comprising a rotatably mounted gate having a transversely curved bottom and a wall at one end thereof, andmeans for supplying material to the gate so as to slope toward said end wall.

3. A feed mechanism for weighing machines comprising av rotatable gate having a cylindrical bottom and a wall at one end thereof, and means for producing a flow of material into the gate in a` direction toward said end wall..

al. A. feed mechanism for weighing machines comprising a rotatable gate having a semicylindrical bottom and a wall at one end thereof, and means arranged at the opposite end of the gate for supplying material thereto.

5. A. feed mechanism for weighing machines comprising a rotatable gate having a transversely curved bottom and provided with a wall at one end, and means arranged at the opposite end of the gate for supplying material thereto in an axial direction a'iid toward said end wall.

G. A feed mechanism for weighing machines comprising a rotatable gate having a transversely curved segmental bottom, a feed hopper having an outlet discharging into the gate for supplying material thereto in an axial direction, and means for turning the gate to discharge the material therefrom.

7. A feed mechanism for machines of the class described, comprising a rotatable gate having a transversely curved segmental bottom and a wall at one end thereof, a feed hopper having an outlet extending into the gate opposite to said end wall, and means for rotating the gate to discharge the material therefrom.

8. Feed mechanism for weighing machines comprising` a rotatable gate having a segmental bottom concentric with its axis and having a wall at its opposite end, the end of the gate opposite to said wall being open, a feed hopper having an outlet extending into said open end of the gate, and means operable by the scale mechanism for turning the gate to discharge the material therefrom.

9. Feed mechanism for weighing machines comprising a movable gate, and an agitator cooperative therewith and having means for setting it into operation automatically when the gat-e is moved into a predetermined position.

l0. Feed mechanism for machines of the class described, comprising a pivotally lll. Feed mechanism Yfor weighing ina-- mounted gate having means for supplying material thereto7 and an agitator cooperative with the lgate and having means for autoniatically settiirg1 it into operation while the gate is in a position to discharge material therefrom.

ll. Feed mechanism for weighing;` machines comprising a pirotally mounted gate ha ving means for supplying material thereto, a tapper mounted to move with the gate and to cooperate therewith, and means ttor setting' the tapper into operation automatically when the gate is moved into a predetermined position.

l2. feed mechanism tor weighing' machines comprising' a piyotally n'ionnted gate ha ring; a trans\f'ersely curved segmental bottom, means for supplying material to the gate, a tapper mounted to direct the seg'- mental bottom oit the gate7 and means tor automatically setting' the tapper into operation when the `gate is moved into a predetermined position.

13. Feed mechanism for weighing` niaehines coniprising' pivoted gate having a semicylindrical concentric bottom7 a tapper piyotallyY mounted upon the gate and arranged to strike the segmental bottom thereot, and a relatively lixed actuating' device arranged to cooperate with the tapper as the fate is moved into a predetermined position.

chinos connnising` a morably mounted gate adapted to receive and discharge material, a tapper movable with the gate and adapted to cooperate therewith to Yfacilitate the discharge of material therefrom, and a continuously rotating device haring projections to cooperate with. said tapper whereby the latiter is automatically set into operation as the gate is turned into a predetermined position.

l5. lin autoniatic feed l'or weighing machines comprising' a rotatably mounted Lgate havingv a bottom plate provided with an edejc over which the material is adapted to dis charge7 the position ot said edge beine' adjustable according;v to the natur-e of the material being handled.

lo. A feed mechanism 'for ."feighingg machines comprising a rotatably mounted gate haringA a transversely curved bottom provided with an edge over which the materia is adapted to disclmrgge. and a controlling RHR )SON 

